Beyond the Light: Identity and Place in Nineteenth-Century Danish Art

Placing artists at the center of nineteenth-century Demark's dramatic cultural, political, and philosophical transformation, this publication explores their persistent national pride in a time of turmoil

Though known as the Danish Golden Age, nineteenth-century Denmark was one of the most tumultuous periods in the nation's history--from the disastrous siege of Copenhagen and the collapse of Denmark's monarchy to the swelling tide of nationalism that eventually engulfed all of Europe. This volume places artists at the center of Denmark's dramatic cultural, political, and philosophical transformation by bringing together 90 drawings, paintings, and oil sketches by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, Christen K bke, Constantin Hansen, Martinus R rbye, Johan Thomas Lundbye, Vilhelm Hammersh i, and others. Five thematic essays by leading scholars in Denmark and the United States explore the way Danish artists manifested the pride, traditions, and anxieties of their nation; the sea's ever-changing role as a marker of Danish identity; the evolving nature of portraiture; nostalgia for the Danish landscape and folk traditions; and the influence on Danish artists of their travels throughout Europe.

Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press

Exhibition Schedule:

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
(January 26-April 16, 2023)

The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
(May 23-August 20, 2023)


About the Author
Freyda Spira is Robert L. Solley Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Yale University Art Gallery. Stephanie Schrader is curator of drawings at J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. Thomas Lederballe is chief curator and senior researcher at the Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen.